BENGALURU: The cybercrime police have arrested two persons for sending offensive and threat messages to former MP and actress Ramya on Instagram. The messages, believed to have come from disgruntled fans of actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, were posted from multiple accounts. The police are yet to confirm whether the arrested are fans of Darshan or any other actor.
The arrested are Obanna and Gangadhar from Kolar and Chitradurga districts, respectively.
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said, “Two persons have been arrested. The identities of 11 others are known, and they will be arrested shortly, as we have specific details about them. Their antecedents will also be checked. The Social Media Monitoring Team is well-trained, and officers from the Central Crime Branch (CCB) and eight cybercrime police stations are working on the case.” Those posting obscene or derogatory content online would be dealt with strictly under the law, he warned.
The arrests follow a complaint filed by Ramya on July 28 where she submitted a list of 43 accounts from which she faced harassment. She claimed that many of the messages were from fans of Darshan. According to a press release from the city police commissioner’s office, more than 48 individuals are believed to have posted such content, and efforts are on to trace the remaining offenders.
Reacting to police action, Ramya posted on social media, “I thank our Home Minister Dr Parameshwar avru and Seemant Kumar Singh avru, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, and the entire team at CCB for the swift action taken on my complaint.
The Bengaluru City police have taken a firm stand against misogynistic aggression. Legal action has been initiated, and two individuals have been arrested. Authorities are actively pursuing further arrests to ensure justice is served. The message is clear: it is difficult to escape the hand of law when it comes to protecting women’s dignity and ensuring safety in our city.”
Ramya was subjected to a wave of online abuse after she shared an article on the Supreme Court proceedings in the Renukaswamy murder case, in which Darshan is the second accused.
In her post, she had demanded justice for Renukaswamy’s family.